


Professionalism In The Workplace

by shipstershipsters



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, Hickeys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24421648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipstershipsters/pseuds/shipstershipsters
Summary: JJ has always been Emily's favorite.Or,The one where they've been secretly dating for 8 months and the team finally puts two and two together.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 9
Kudos: 402





	Professionalism In The Workplace

**Author's Note:**

> Slight AU only in the sense that Morgan is still around while Emily is Unit Chief- because I think that's a dynamic we all deserve to see!

"Reid, check this out!"

The handsome dark-skinned profiler was leaning back in his chair, laughing at his fellow profiler who'd just sat down at her desk. Jennifer Jareau was sporting a fitted grey skirt with a white blouse- and a very pink flush on her cheeks from Morgan's relentless teasing.

"What'd I miss, guys, what's going on?" Reid chirped as he strode towards the bullpen, Garcia in tow. The technical analyst moved much slower as to not spill the two coffees she held; one for her, and one for Derek Morgan.

"Our little JJ's been getting herself some action," Morgan grinned, pointing his blonde colleague's neck. JJ was blushing profusely now, adjusting her hair so it fell over the side of her neck to better hide the source of his attention.

"Ooh, Jayje, what?" Penelope gasped, leaning over the blonde and pushing her hair to the side despite JJ's attempts to stop her. Her eyes widened when she saw the size of the large hickey towards the back of JJ's neck, right above the second one tucked just under the edge of her blouse.

"JJ and Will separated eight months ago, guys," Spencer frowned, upset that they were giving JJ a hard time. "She hasn't been- wait," he paused when he saw what Garcia was lifting JJ's hair to reveal.

"Oh, JJ, I only saw the first one!" Morgan exclaimed, his eyes glinting as he noticed the second hickey just barely hiding under her blouse. "You dating a vampire?"

"Who are you dating? Why didn't you tell us?" Penelope cut him off, letting JJ's hair down and spinning the embarrassed profiler's chair around to face the group.

"It's nobody," JJ insisted, her cheeks still beet red. "I'm just- I'm not ready to introduce... them to the group yet," she finished, knowing that answer still wouldn't stop Garcia's prying mind.

"He must be pretty close to you then," Garcia said excitedly, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah, no shit," Morgan muttered with a smirk, acting hurt when JJ lightly slapped his arm.

"We're very close, thank you very much," JJ informed him, rolling her eyes at what Morgan was insinuating- although it was true after all. A small smirk tugged at her lips when she thought of just how close they'd been last night.

"Whatever, JJ, but you gotta be careful there," Morgan warned her playfully. "Prentiss had my ass the last time I showed up with a hickey, something about professionalism in the workplace... If I were you, I'd steer clear of her today. Wait, don't you two and Garcia have that meeting with the Chief of Police today?" He exclaimed.

"I don't think it'll be a problem," JJ assured him, her eyes flickering over to Emily's office with an amused look.

"Hey, Morgan's right, she's our friend but she's still our boss," Reid chimed in. "She did get pretty upset when Morgan showed up with that hickey."

"Yes, she did," Garcia agreed, crossing her arms as she glanced over at Emily's office then back at JJ. "Want me to see if I have concealer in my office?"

"I tried this morning," JJ deadpanned. "Look, guys, I'm positive Emily won't have a problem with it. Let's just not make it a big deal, okay?"

"What's not a big deal?" Rossi asked as he joined the bullpen, just getting back from his weekly Monday morning briefing with Prentiss.

"JJ's hickeys," Garcia informed him knowingly as he peered down at the blonde with surprise. "She spent the weekend with her new lover," she drawled, making JJ roll her eyes.

"Really?" He frowned, raising his eyebrow at the blonde. "Prentiss said you three all had a girls night yesterday. She's nursing a decent hangover in there right now," he chuckled.

"A girls night? This is the first I'm hearing about it," Garcia frowned, turning to JJ with a raised eyebrow.

JJ bit her lip.

She knew Emily was hungover- she'd known when Emily woke up and let out a soft, weak whine and begged JJ to close the shades that she would be having a miserable day at work. After all, it had been JJ's idea to stay in for the weekend and last night, they'd started an innocent drinking game while watching a game of football (JJ's choice, of course). However, the football match had been long forgotten when the drinking game turned into a very tipsy Emily licking salt and lime juice off of JJ's collarbones after sucking tequila off of the blonde's toned stomach. Of course, they'd only been able to make it a few rounds before the tension had grown too high and Emily had pinned JJ down and-

"Hey guys, we have a case," Emily called from her office, making her way down the stairs with a stack of folders in her arms. JJ felt her heart flutter at the sight of the gorgeous brunette in one of her staple outfits- a button down shirt with a red blazer that JJ was certain had been stolen from _her_ closet in the early hours of the morning.

"How you feelin' Em?" Morgan offered with a smile, his eyes flicking between the two girls with an knowing grin.

"I'm sorry?" Emily raised an eyebrow at her friend, giving him the signature Prentiss staredown.

"Just looks like you had a rough night, Rossi here told us you partied a little too hard with our two blonde beauties," Morgan gestured, nodding his head to Garcia's confused expression.

"I don't remember any partying, either," Garcia challenged, crossing her arms. "And JJ here was clearly too busy with her new _lover_ , so unless you gave her those hickeys, you're not telling us something," she joked. 

Emily's face flushed, and she looked down, fixing her hair agitatedly the way she always did when nervous about something, tucking it behind her ears and straightening her blazer. "Garcia, we need to get started on this case. If you need to know, it was personal."

"Oh, personal, of course," Garcia purred. "Are both of you seeing someone and keeping it a secret? What is with you two," she accused, feigning disappointment. "I thought we shared this kind of stuff."

"Could we talk about this on the plane?" Emily gestured, raising her arm that had her go bag tucked underneath it by accident and stepping back in annoyance when it fell. _Come on Prentiss, get_ _it together. Stop being so flustered,_ she willed herself as she reached down to pick it up. "Reid, could you hand me my keys?" She asked sharply as she tucked her credentials back into the front flap of the bag that had spilled open.

The young genius picked up the keychain that had fallen at his feet and moved to hand them to her, but paused, taking a deeper look at the keys in his hands. "Why are JJ's keys on your keychain?"

"I.. what?" Emily asked lamely, frozen in spot on the ground before the group of profilers.

"This is the gate barcode for JJ's neighborhood, and this is the same key JJ has for her front door," Reid pointed out, holding up the keychain to show the group. "I- I gave JJ a ride home a few months ago and I'm positive these are the same keys she used then," he frowned, examining the shape of the door key. "See, it's slightly longer than most standard house keys, grooved on both sides to prevent someone from picking the lock using any standard mechanism... these are JJ's keys," he insisted.

"Yeah, uh, sometimes she has me pick Henry up from school if she's working and can't make it," Emily lied, taking her keychain back from Reid before he could profile anything else. "And he forgets his keys, sometimes, so she made copies."

"You work later in the day than she does, Unit Chief," Morgan piped up, gazing at his best friend with a twinkle in his eye. "JJ's had a babysitter years now. What's really going on?"

"This conversation is finished," Emily insisted clearly, straightening her hair again and placing the stack of files on Morgan's desk. "Wheels up in 5. Don't be late."

And just when JJ was about to let out the breath she'd been holding, Emily's hair was blown out of her face just enough to reveal a dark hickey peeking out from the side of _her_ shirt as she strode towards the elevator.

Four shocked face turned to meet JJ's as the group of profilers put together the pieces of the relationship that had been lying right under their noses for the past eight months.

"Emily... you and _Emily_?" Garcia turned to JJ with the biggest smile she'd ever worn in that dismal bullpen.

JJ knew it was futile to hide it any longer. She plucked her folder off the top of the stack that was on Morgan's desk, and turned back to face the group with a smirk before following Emily to the elevators.

"I did tell you guys, I don't think my boss would mind it if I come in with a hickey after all."


End file.
